Dulais Colliery

Onllwyn, Dulais Valley

This was an anthracite slant situated on the northern outcrop of the Coalfield on the Breconshire side of the border. It was originally served by the Neath and Brecon Railway. It was owned throughout its lifetime by the Dulais Anthracite Colliery Company Limited who did not join the Monmouthshire and South Wales Coal Owners Association. In 1905/6 a new pit had been sunk to the Bluers seam and it was in this pit on the 9th of September 1907 that three men were killed in an explosion. They were using naked lights. They were; Patrick Norris aged 48 years, Henry Birch aged 37 years and Walter Herbert aged 29 years. In 1911 it employed 297 men and in 1913 its shipping agent was Richard Hodgens of Adelaide Chambers, Swansea at that time it employed 15 men and was managed in both years by A.F. Railton.

• On the 22 of April 1911, Eli Pugh, aged 24 years and a collier, died under a fall of the roof.
• On the 29th of July 1913, Trevor Lewis, aged only 16 years, and a collier, died from blood poisoning,
• On the 13th of October, 1913, John Owen, aged 31 years, and an assistant repairer, died under a fall of roof
• On the 8th of May 1928, John Stanley Williams, Collier was 28 years of age when his skull was fractured from shot firing.

In 1916 the manager was F. Davies and in 1919 it was E. Pennington and in 1920 it was D.B. Jones. It employed 250 men in 1916 and 275 men in 1919. In 1923 Ben Howells was the manager and it employed 148 men working underground and 45 men working at the surface of the mine producing 50,000 tons. In 1930 J.J. Edwards was the manager and this mine employed 156 men working underground in the Peacock seam and 51 men working at the surface. In 1935 the chairman of the company was Commodore C.E. Evans, and the company headquarters was at Fenchurch Street, London. The other directors were; H. Lewes Williams and R.F. Orr. 51 men were employed on the surface and 156 men underground working the Peacock, Bluers and New seams producing 50,000 tons of coal. The manager at that time was J.J. Edwards.

This colliery had its own coal preparation plant (washery). The Dulais drift abandoned the New or Bluers seam in November 1917 and the Nine-Feet seam in February 1926 while the Dulais Anthracite East Slant abandoned the Peacock seam in November 1927 with the East Slant abandoned in 1928. It was closed prior to Nationalisation in 1947.

Some statistics:

• 1903: Manpower: 28.
• 1907: Manpower: 192.
• 1909: Manpower: 232.
• 1910: Manpower: 370.
• 1911: Manpower: 297.
• 1912: Manpower: 323.
• 1916: Manpower: 250.
• 1919: Manpower: 275.
• 1920: Manpower: 275.
• 1922: Manpower: 175.
• 1923: Manpower: 193. Output: 50,000 tons.
• 1924: Manpower: 198.
• 1927: Manpower: 188.
• 1929: Manpower: 210.
• 1930: Manpower: 207. Output: 50,000 tons.
• 1932: Manpower: 210.
• 1933: Manpower: 211.
• 1935: Manpower: 207.

Information supplied by Ray Lawrence and used here with his permission.